Folding garment hanger



Feb. 26, 1957 R. P. MURRAY 2,

FOLDING GARMENT HANGER Filed April 25, 1955 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent FOLDING GARMENT HANGER Ralph P. Murray, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application April 25, 1955, Serial No. 503,555

7 Claims. (Cl. 223-94) This invention relates to a folding garment hanger designed for a one-handed opening operation, and embodies improvements over the structure disclosed in my pending application, Serial No. 464,304, filed October 25, 1954.

An object of the present invention is to provide a garment hanger, of the character referred to, that can easily be slipped into the narrow neck of a garment, when'folded, and then, while operating the hanger with one hand, unfolding the same into garment-hanging position to obviate undesired stretching of the garment neck and the possibility of tearing the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a folding hanger that is self-locking in unfolded garment-hanging position and embodies arm-spreading means easily operable by the fingers of one hand to unfold the hanger arms.

A further object of the invention is to provide a folding hanger that embodies improved cam means on the arm, the latter being arranged in overlapping relationship, when folded, toenable such improved cam structure by means of which easy finger manipulation of the hanger is afforded.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawing merely shows and the following description merely describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate like parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a broken front elevational view of a preferred form of garment hanger shown open or unfolded in full lines and folded in dot-dash lines.

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional views as taken on the lines 22 and 3-3, respectively.

Fig. 4 is a broken side elevational view of a modification.

The folding garment hanger that is illustrated comprises, generally, a guide frame 5, a combined hanger hook and arm lock 6 slidably mounted in said frame, and a pair of similar arms 7 pivotally carried by the frame and operatively engaged by the member 6.

The frame 5, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, comprises a slideway 8 formed of wire and having looped ends that are connected to pivots 9. In this case, the said ends of the wire reside in the fold of a metal cap 10, the pivots 9 having bearing in the walls of said cap. Said cap is so formed as to have its fold 11 upwardly facing and thereby constituting a finger-engageable portion of the frame 5.

As shown, in the modification of Fig. 4, the cap may be omitted and, instead the looped ends of the slideway 8 may, after a turn around pivots 9, be extended to form finger-engageable portions 12 that may be intertwined substantially as shown to provide finger rests comparable to the fold 11 of cap 10.

Said cap is apertured at 13 in the middle of fold 11, the aperturehaving its counterpart in the modification in the guide loop 14 formed by said intertwining of portions 12.

The combination member 6 comprises the usual wire hanger loop or hook 15 and an arm operating and lockingbutton 16 connected to the stem 17 of loop or hook 15. Said stem extends through aperture 13 or guide loop 14, as the case may be.

Said button 16 may be advantageously made of ordinary wooden doweling or otherwise formed to have a cylindrical shape. The stem 17 is affixed to said button centrally between its flat circular ends and the cylindrical face of said button is formed with oppositeguide slots 18 that are engaged by the wire portions 19 of the slideway 8. It will be clear that said button 16, therefore, is movable between the cap 10 (or portions 12) and the closed end 20 of the slideway while the stem 17 of the hook 15 is being guided in aperture 13 or guide loop 14, as the case may be. It will also be clear that, with the fore and middle finger on the fold 11 of cap 10 (or the portions 12) and the thumb on the under side of button 16, the latter, by bringing said. fingers together, may be raised in the slideway.

The arms 7 are preferably form-ed of wire to have spaced longitudinal portions 21 connected at one end 22 and provided with eyes 23 around pivots 9. Each arm has the portions 21 formed to constitute a curved shoulder part 24, a curved button-housing part 25, and a curved cam-wedging part 26. When the arms are spread or unfolded, the parts 24 have an upward bow so as to be in garment-supporting engagement within the shoulder portions of a garment; the parts 25 are oppositely bowed or curved to partly encompass the button between them, and the parts 26 are so curved that the button, moving upward, may easily cam itself therepast while spreading the arms (see the dot-dash 'lines of Fig. 4).

The curved portions 25 and 26 of each arm are connected by a sharp bend 27, said bend falling beneath the button and being engaged thereby to hold the arms spread as in Fig. 1. Since the hook 15 is hung from a rod or pole, the button is held elevated and the arms fall into garment-supporting position gravitationally.

It will be noted that the portions 26 and parts of the portions 25 are in overlapping relation when the arms are folded. This allows for more compact folding. To this end the arms are transversely staggered, as in Fig. 2, the same resulting from the provision of spacing washers 28, one on one side on one of the pivots 9 and one on the opposite side of the other pivot.

The button 16, when resting on wire part 20, limits the overlap of the arms (see the dot-dash position of Fig. 1). Thus, said button controls both the folded and unfolded positions of the arms.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what are now contemplated to be the best modes of carrying out the invention, the constructions are, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired to restrict the invention to the particular forms of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A wire garment hanger comprising a guide frame, a pair of oppositely extending arms pivotally connected to said frame, said arms being transversely offset from each other and having convexly curved portions in overlapping relation when the arms are in a folded position, a member guided in said frame and movable between the convexly curved portions of the arms to move and lock the latter in an unfolded position, and a hook to suspend the hanger and connected to the guided member.

2. A wire garment hanger according to claim 1: said frame being provided with an upper transverse finger-em gageable portion.

3. A wire garment hanger according to claim 1: each arm being formed of spaced longitudinal wire parts, and the guide frame being formed of wire and disposed between the wire parts of the anus.

4. A wire garment hanger comprising a vertically disposed guide frame, said frame being formed by a U- shaped piece of wire, a pair of oppositely extending arms pivotally connected to said frame, one arm being connected to one side of said U and the other arm to the other side thereof, said arms having convexly curved portions in overlapping relation when the arms are folded, a member vertically movable within said frame and guided thereby, said member being movable between the convexly curved portions of the arms to move and lock the same in an open position, and a hook connected to said member to suspend the hanger.

5. A wire garment hanger comprising a vertically disposed guide frame, said frame being formed by a U- shaped piece of wire, a finger surface mounted across the open end of said U, a pair of arms oppositely extending from each side of said U and pivotally connected thereto, said arms having convexly curved portions overlapping the frame when the arms are folded, a member vertically movable within the frame and guided thereby, said member being movable between the convexly curved portions of the arms to move and lock the same in an open position, and a hook guided by said finger surface and connected to said member.

6. A wire garment hanger according to claim 5: said finger surface consisting of a U-shaped cap having a hole therein for guiding said hook, and a pair of pivots extending between opposite walls of said cap to provide the mentioned pivoted connection between said frame and said arms.

7. A wire garment hanger according to claim 5: the ends of said U-shaped frame being looped to support a pair of pivots and extended beyond said loops, the extended portions being intertwined around said hook for guiding the same and then looped again to provide said finger surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kittredge Nov. 27, 

